The emergency department is the best place to get treatment when you have an emergency because:

You get treated right away.

The emergency department staff is specially trained to handle these types of conditions.

A specialist (a doctor who is trained in a certain area of medicine) may be available if you need special care.

Emergency Care Tip If you don’t know whether your health problem is an emergency, ask yourself, “Would the average person think this problem is an emergency?” If your answer is “yes,” you should probably go to the emergency room.